It seems no time at
all since over 1,000 delegates attended our first online e-symposium on Human
Identification, HUMID 2005. With
another 1,000 people viewing the archived presentations, this means that the
conference had an effective attendance of over 2,000.
This is your
opportunity to hear and discuss leading edge topics in DNA and fingerprint
identification with international figures.
The programme already includes contributions from David Ashbaugh, Bob
Bramley, John Butler, Christophe Champod, David Faigman, Barry Fisher, David
Kaye, David Lazer, and Michael Mansfield QC.
For programme and registration information
go to http://www.forensic.e-symposium.com/humid/
If you are interested
in taking part, or have ideas for other symposia, drop a note to firn@theforensicinstitute.com .
We are delighted once
again that Dr Ian Gibson MP has accepted an invitation from the organising
committee of FORREST 2006 (FORensic RESearch and Teaching) to provide the
opening keynote speech. Other
presenters will include Sir Louis Blom-Cooper, Professor Dave Barclay, Dr Dick
Shepherd (Home Office Pathologist), and Dr Sean Doyle (Forensic Explosives
Lab). Workshops will provide detailed
information and help for teaching.
FORREST is an annual
international academic conference organised jointly by FIRN and The Higher
Education Academy. The purpose of
FORREST is to present the latest and most relevant work in forensic research
and teaching.
The conference provides
excellent opportunities for informal networking and sharing of ideas as
evidenced by delegates’ comments from last year; “one of the most useful meetings I’ve attended”.
However, a key aim of
the conference is to showcase research that is of value in the forensic
sciences. Current information,
including the call for papers and posters, is at http://www.theforensicinstitute.com/public_html/forrest2006.htm
.
In conjunction with
the FORREST Conference at UCLAN, there is a series of student conferences
planned. Here is what John Cassella, a
member of the FIRN Management Board and Senior Lecturer at Staffs wrote;
“As part of the Forensic
Institute Research Network (FIRN), we are organising a conference which will
allow undergraduate forensic science students to present their research
conducted as part of their final year projects. This meeting is very much
student centred, so students can present work in both poster and in oral
format. All accepted abstracts will be published in the Forensic Institute’s
E-journal. The best poster and oral presentation will be awarded a prize.
Appropriate
posters may be submitted to the subsequent FORensic
RESearch and Teaching (FORREST) meeting
to be at the University of Central Lancashire in September 2006.
We
very much hope that you will join with us in this first, regional and student
centred conference. Other geographical regions will be using this model to run
meetings later in the year or early in 2007.
We look forward to welcoming you to Staffordshire University’s Stoke-on-Trent campus in for the meeting on Tuesday 4th April 2006.”
Contact John at J.P.Cassella@staffs.ac.uk for details. This full day conference costs only a tenner!!
We are looking for other universities to take up this exciting idea to encourage cooperation among local universities. It can also be a superb advertising vehicle for your university by inviting local schools to participate in the event. The FIRN Regional Coordinator is Raul Sutton at Wolverampton (R.Sutton@wlv.ac.uk ). Raul is keen to hear from you if you wish to be the first in your area to organise this ready-made event which of course has the added attraction of allowing the best to go forward to a national event. Imagine the PR value of that!
While we are on the
subject of students; have you asked yours to get involved in the Forum? It is
the ideal way to put them in touch with international figures in forensic
science, and even share some of their own problems with each other. While you are at it, have YOU joined yet?
The FIRNForum, a
bulletin board and chat area specifically for the forensic community under the
auspices of the Forensic Institute Research Network (FIRN), has now been opened
to anyone with a legitimate interest in forensic science and medicine. More information on the FIRNForum and how
you can register can be found at http://www.theforensicinstitute.com/public_html/firnforum.htm.
Papers are already in
the review pipeline for our new open access online Journal. Peer reviewed papers, short communications,
letters, and technical notes are just some of the content envisaged for the
Journal.
The short review time,
rapid publication, and easy, free access will ensure that you can get your work
published quickly and with a potentially high impact factor.
The Editorial Board
welcome any contribution to the scope of the journal “any
topic that contributes to knowledge and skills related to the use of science
and technology in the law, law enforcement, and crime prevention; particularly
its use as evidence in the trial process, evidence evaluation, standards of
practice, and in forming legislation or policy.”
More information at http://www.theforensicinstitute.com/public_html/firnjournal.htm
.
Some news of a project
that aims to put scientists and writers in touch with one another. In their own words;
“SciTalk contributors are self-selected enthusiasts. If you are a scientist who is intrigued by the idea of talking to a writer about what you do, then please register with SciTalk.
If you are a writer in search of inspiration, find a scientist and arrange to visit his or her workplace: find out where `science' is done, who does it, and why; meet other members of the research group; talk, listen and generally exchange views.
SciTalk is all about enthusiasm and
communication. Writers and scientists can both suffer from stereotypical
images. If SciTalk helps writers to enjoy using science and to include
scientists as believable characters - and helps scientists learn how writers
work and what they mean by `research' - then the project will have achieved
success.”
Much of The
Institute’s casework is performed through our Consultants’ Network. The Network is international and intended to
cover almost any forensic topic that we may be asked to deal with. The increasing caseload at The Institute now
means that we are interested in hearing from anyone who has expertise that
could become part of The Institute’s Network.
If you are interested,
or would like to recommend someone else, please contact Professor Jamieson
direct and confidentially on allanj@theforensicinstitute.com
. Please note that you must be an
experienced scientist or forensic practitioner to be considered.
We are extending our
involvement in the delivery of training and education programmes. In particular, our on-line modules are being
expanded. We are seeking individuals
who can write good, informative material for use in a wide range of on-line
topics. These could be anything from
basic statistics to advanced DNA analysis.
You don’t necessarily need experience here; just be able to show that
you can write in a way that can be understood by the course students. To arrange an informal chat drop a
confidential note to allanj@theforensicinstitute.com
.
If you have any items
of interest that you would like to publicise via The Institute, just contact
us. The Forum also has a calendar where
we can post your event, and you can tell us about it on the bulletin board.